History Awesome / Contra

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEqu2ITiOPI The entire intro]] to ''Neo Contra''. Cutting a plane in half without budging, killing dozens of enemies, riding missiles & dinosaurs, and killing giant robots with the power of teamwork? ''[[CrazyAwesome Hell yes.]]''

** Another awesome robot boss (or rather, ''bosses'') is Takedda Robot, a [[TerribleTrio trio]] of {{Killer Robot}}s that [[CombiningMecha can combine with each other to become even bigger and nastier robots]]. You take on Yellow Airship, Blue Blade, and Red Dolphin one-by-one until they merge together to become a running humanoid robot that backflips across the road, then walks on its drill hands while firing missiles at you. Then the robots merge into a robot bird that fires lightning out of its mouth and tries to impale you with its beak. Finally, the robots merge together to form a TankTreadMecha that either traps you with its [[BladeOnAStick spear]] or fires a rain of missiles to carpet the road with explosions. Upon defeat, the robots try to form again, only to fail spectacularly and explode.
** It also helps that it has one of the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLO5PDrgO1Q best boss musics in the series]]. So awesome, it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcApUEVa7G8 got remixed]] in ''Contra'' ''[=ReBirth=]'' for the mechanical bosses.

* [[OneHundredPercentCompletion Getting an S rank]] in ''Shattered Soldier'' and ''Neo'' awards you with these two [[CrowningMomentOfFunny funny]] videos: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrJ7zWGI9MI this]] and [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RCmbIwizjY&feature=related this]].

* Meta-wise, the concept of Contra, if you consider how it touches in with the pop culture of the time. It's basically "[[Film/{{Commando}} John Matrix]] teams up with [[Film/FirstBlood John Rambo]] and they kick Franchise/{{Alien}} ass, action movie style.[[note]]Even moreso because Alien is from a horror genre, so kicking its ass instead of it systematically killing the good guys one by one while making the audience piss on their pants is a form of CatharsisFactor[[/note]]". [[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny How is that not awesome?]]

* Meta-wise, the concept of Contra, if you consider how it touches in with the pop culture of the time. It's basically "[[Film/{{Commando}} John Matrix]] teams up with [[Film/FirstBlood John Rambo]] and they kick Franchise/{{Alien}} ass, action movie style.[[note]]Even moreso because Alien is from a horror genre, so kicking its ass instead of it systematically killing the good guys one by one is a form of CatharsisFactor[[/note]]". [[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny How is that not awesome?]]

* Completing the original ''Contra'' without the use of the KonamiCode. Now that has to be a reward to an experienced gamer.

* ''Contra III'''s Stage 4 consists of a BattleshipRaid against Red Falcon's gigantic airship. How is this stage awesome? When you attack the airship's core, your helicopter launches [[MacrossMissileMassacre a series of missiles]] with you climbing on top of each missile as you attack the core.

* The final battle with the Relic of Morai in ''Shattered Soldier'' and the final battle with Master Contra in ''Neo Contra''.

* In ''Hard Corps'', we get GTR (or Super Power Robot Yokozuna), who happens to be a large blue humanoid robot that has some skilled attacks. However, there are two things that just add up the awesome factor: his intro (he [[RacingTheTrain runs alongside the train you're walking on]] and then goes in front of it, ''stopping it with his own hands'') and his creative death (he falls off of the train and gets smashed to pieces by said train). The Contra creators must've thought that this was an awesome boss, because a MKII version of GTR appears in ''Shattered Soldier''. That one also stops the train with its bare hands after catching up to the train.
** It also helps that it has one of the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLO5PDrgO1Q best boss musics in the series]]. So awesome, it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcApUEVa7G8 got remixed]] in ''Rebirth'' for the mechanical bosses.

* In ''Hard Corps'', we get GTR (or Super Power Robot Yokozuna), who happens to be a large blue humanoid robot that has some skilled attacks. However, there are two things that just add up the awesome factor: his intro (he runs alongside the train you're walking on and then goes in front of it, ''stopping it with his own hands'') and his creative death (he falls off of the train and gets smashed to pieces by said train). The Contra creators must've thought that this was an awesome boss, because a MKII version of GTR appears in ''Shattered Soldier''. That one also stops the train with its bare hands after catching up to the train.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEqu2ITiOPI The entire intro to Neo Contra.]] Cutting a plane in half without budging,, killing dozens of enemies, riding missiles & dinosaurs, and killing giant robots with the power of teamwork? Hell yes.

** Let's not forget that the latter video has Jaguar taking down hordes of enemies then destroying a giant robot that ''[[EarthShatteringKaboom literally causes the entire Earth to explode]]''. Complete with a ''FistOfTheNorthStar''-like finisher.

** It also helps that it has one of the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLO5PDrgO1Q best boss musics in the series]]. So awesome, it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcApUEVa7G8 got remixed]] in ''Rebirth'' for the mechanical bosses.

* Completing the original ''Contra'' without the use of the [[ClassicCheatCode Konami Code]]. Now that has to be a reward to an experienced gamer.

* In ''Hard Corps'', we get GTR (or Super Power Robot Yokozuna), who happens to be a large blue humanoid robot that has some skilled attacks. However, there are two things that just add up the awesome factor: his intro (he runs alongside the train you're walking on and then goes in front of it, ''stopping it with his own hands'') and his creative death (he falls off of the train and gets smashed to pieces by said train). The Contra creators must've thought that this was an awesome boss, because a MKII version of GTR appears in ''Shattered Soldier''. That one also stops the train with its bare hands after catching up to the train.

* In ''Hard Corps'', we get GTR (or Super Power Robot Yokozuna), who happens to be a large blue humanoid robot that has some skilled attacks. However, there are two things that just add up the awesome factor: his intro (he runs alongside the train you're walking on and then goes in front of it, "stopping it with his own hands") and his creative death (he falls off of the train and gets smashed to pieces by said train). The Contra creators must've thought that this was an awesome boss, because a MKII version of GTR appears in ''Shattered Soldier''. That one also stops the train with its bare hands after catching up to the train.

** For bonus points, [[SelfImpoisedChallenge try fighting]] [[FinalBoss Red Falcon]] [[NintendoHard with only three lives]].

** For bonus points, [[SelfImprovisedChallenge try fighting]] [[FinalBoss Red Falcon]] [[NintendoHard with only three lives]].

** For bonus points, try fighting [[FinalBoss Red Falcon]] [[NintendoHard with only three lives]].

* In ''Hard Corps'', we get GTR (or Super Power Robot Yokozuna), who happens to be a large blue humanoid robot that has some skilled attacks. However, there are two things that just add up the awesome factor: his intro (he runs alongside the train you're walking on and then goes in front of it, "stopping it with his own hands") and his creative death (he falls off of the train and gets smashed to pieces by said train). The Contra creators must've thought that this was an awesome boss, because a MKII version of GTR appears in ''Shattered Soldier''. That one also stops the train.

** For bonus points, try fighting [[NintendoHard Red Falcon with only three lives]].

* The final battle with the Relic of Morai in ''Shattered Soldier'' and the final battle with Master Contra in ''Neo Contra''.

* [[OneHundredPercentCompletion Getting an S rank]] in ''Shattered Soldier'' and ''Neo'' awards you with these two [[CrowningMomentOfFunny funny]] videos: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrJ7zWGI9MI this]] and [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RCmbIwizjY&feature=related this]].

* ''Contra III'''s Stage 4 consists of a BattleshipRaid against Red Falcon's gigantic airship. How is this stage awesome? When you attack the airship's core, your helicopter launches [[MacrossMissileMassacre a series of missiles]] with you climbing on top of each missile as you attack the core.